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Your home’s water distribution system begins where the water supply enters the house. For homes supplied by municipal water systems the main water line enters the home near ground level on the side of the residence closest to the street or the main distribution line (alley, common line). For homes on private wells or springs the line typically enters the house on the side that’s closest to the source. Municipal water supplies are metered so they know how much to charge you each month. The meter may be located where the main water line enters your property or it may be installed inside your home, depending on local preferences and weather conditions. In this water line is the main shutoff valve that can stop flow of water to your home. You should know where this main shutoff valve is as you begin working on remodeling your home’s plumbing system. The cold water pipe system distributes water from the main water pipe to various areas and fixtures around the home: bathtubs, toilets, lavatories, kitchen sink, clothes washer, etc. It also delivers water to the hot water heater and system that, in turn, distributes heated water to various fixtures. In older homes, cold and hot water is distributed in galvanized steel pipes assembled with threaded connectors. Installing or remodeling these systems often requires an experienced plumber, though you can buy fittings that will let you retrofit steel pipe systems with modern materials with little effort. Remodeling Words Fittings are any devices that connects pipe to pipe or pipe to fixtures. Today’s homes typically use copper pipes for new installation, though some local building codes allow for use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic pipes. Water supply lines typically are ¾ in. in diameter for trunk (main) lines and ½ in. for branch lines. The primary water line coming into the home could be 1 in. or larger. Remodeling Words A branch in a plumbing or heating system is any part of the supply pipes connected to a fixture. In addition, various branches of the water distribution system may include a shutoff valve, allowing you to turn off hot and/or cold water to a specific room during remodeling without depriving the rest of the home of water.
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